Bloody Eyeballs

**Dsix36** · 3rd February 2008, 20:08

I have recently noticed a little issue with my eyes after diving.

on Jan 13th I went diving. 132' max depth for 1hr 38 min. 45 min bottom time the rest was deco.

yesterday i went diving. 173' max depth for 1hr 12min. 32min bottom time the rest deco.

Both dives went great without any issues. I had no niggles or any other problems post dive.

Here is the thing. 1st time, the white in my left eye turned red (left side of eye) 2nd time the white in my right eye turned red (left side of eye).

I don't recall any mask squeeze or equalization problems. The eyeball thing appears the morning after the dive.

Any ideas of what the hell is going on with my eyes. It is kinda freaky.
Oh yeah, it takes about a week for it to clear up.

.

babar · 3rd February 2008, 20:46

Is it bloody,

or just red?

The former is a subconjuctival hemmorhage, which results from a burst blood vessel in a layer of the eye. They look really bad, but are not clinically important and resolve on their own. These could be a result of a pressure difference like a mask squeeze.

The later is non-specific, but is usually a result of some sort of irritation. Maybe your mask defogger? or just the saltwater?

Cheers

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dsix36)

I have recently noticed a little issue with my eyes after diving.

on Jan 13th I went diving. 132' max depth for 1hr 38 min. 45 min bottom time the rest was deco.

yesterday i went diving. 173' max depth for 1hr 12min. 32min bottom time the rest deco.

Both dives went great without any issues. I had no niggles or any other problems post dive.

Here is the thing. 1st time, the white in my left eye turned red (left side of eye) 2nd time the white in my right eye turned red (left side of eye).

I don't recall any mask squeeze or equalization problems. The eyeball thing appears the morning after the dive.

Any ideas of what the hell is going on with my eyes. It is kinda freaky.
Oh yeah, it takes about a week for it to clear up.

.

**Dsix36** · 3rd February 2008, 20:52

It is definitely bloody!

The last time it cleared up by itself in about a week.

I am more concerned with preventing it from happening every time I dive. There is also the issue of - should I dive with my eye f**ked?

Mixaddict · 3rd February 2008, 23:05

I'm not a doc, but I have seen this happen quite a bit with rebreather divers. I tend to think that it is caused by mask squeeze. Due to the fact that CCR divers concentrate on "not breathing out through their noses" I think that we tend to ignore or not notice mask squeeze as easily as when we were diving OC and didn't have to worry about nose breathing. In our OC days, we breathed a little bit out through our nose, and the mask equalization took care of itself. Now on CCR, we have to think about equalizing the mask! Just one more little issue with CCR! (Like we don't have enough to worry about already!)

Hope it resolves itself soon!

Regards,
Randy

chunter · 3rd February 2008, 23:59

You may also consider getting checked for a PFO. A buddy of mine was getting spots in the whites of his eyes and it turned out to be from a PFO.

Does this only happen on deep dives?

Aloha,
Charlie

**Dsix36** · 4th February 2008, 00:08

Quote: (Originally Posted by chunter)

You may also consider getting checked for a PFO. A buddy of mine was getting spots in the whites of his eyes and it turned out to be from a PFO.

Does this only happen on deep dives?

Aloha,
Charlie

define deep?

only happened 2 times.
132' and 173' dives.

I am leaning towards mask squeeze. I have been to 130'-140' on several occassions and this never happened before. I do descend alot faster than I used to though. I drop at about 40-60 feet per minute. It took me 4 min to get to 173'

duffmiver · 4th February 2008, 04:38

I had the same thing happen to me, was a fairly shallow dive(80 ft), but I'll bet it happened somewhere in the first 20ft. I had just switched to a very low volume mask and was diving a new rebreather for the first time as well. I don't remember ever getting much mask squeeze, but I think I was just a little late equalizing the mask on the way down, thinking about the new rig a little too much and forgot the obvious. I don't think it takes much with a low volume mask, I'd never had it happen before, and it hasn't happened since.

steveharriss · 4th February 2008, 10:29

I sneezed last week and was horrified to find the white of my left eye was covered in blood when I looked in a mirror 15 minutes later. One trip to the Doctors later I was reassured to find that it's a fairly common occurrence and nothing to worry about. I asked about diving but was told there was no reason why I couldn't continue to dive as it was just like a bruise and would disappear over the next 14 days or so.

Quite dramatic looking though!

**Dsix36** · 2nd March 2008, 23:17

It must have been mask squeeze. On my last dive, I descended slower and made sure to equalize the mask too. No bloody eyeballs

kiwi_diver · 3rd March 2008, 01:05

So it wasn't a 40 oz of bourbon you'd hammered the night before then?

I'll bet that's a huge relief!

3rd February 2008, 20:08	#1 (permalink)
Dsix36 Going Down? Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 860	Bloody Eyeballs I have recently noticed a little issue with my eyes after diving. on Jan 13th I went diving. 132' max depth for 1hr 38 min. 45 min bottom time the rest was deco. yesterday i went diving. 173' max depth for 1hr 12min. 32min bottom time the rest deco. Both dives went great without any issues. I had no niggles or any other problems post dive. Here is the thing. 1st time, the white in my left eye turned red (left side of eye) 2nd time the white in my right eye turned red (left side of eye). I don't recall any mask squeeze or equalization problems. The eyeball thing appears the morning after the dive. Any ideas of what the hell is going on with my eyes. It is kinda freaky. Oh yeah, it takes about a week for it to clear up. . __________________ THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!
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3rd February 2008, 20:46	#2 (permalink)
babar Curmudgeon Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Sport Kiss Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 415	Re: Bloody Eyeballs Is it bloody, or just red? The former is a subconjuctival hemmorhage, which results from a burst blood vessel in a layer of the eye. They look really bad, but are not clinically important and resolve on their own. These could be a result of a pressure difference like a mask squeeze. The later is non-specific, but is usually a result of some sort of irritation. Maybe your mask defogger? or just the saltwater? Cheers Quote: (Originally Posted by Dsix36) I have recently noticed a little issue with my eyes after diving. on Jan 13th I went diving. 132' max depth for 1hr 38 min. 45 min bottom time the rest was deco. yesterday i went diving. 173' max depth for 1hr 12min. 32min bottom time the rest deco. Both dives went great without any issues. I had no niggles or any other problems post dive. Here is the thing. 1st time, the white in my left eye turned red (left side of eye) 2nd time the white in my right eye turned red (left side of eye). I don't recall any mask squeeze or equalization problems. The eyeball thing appears the morning after the dive. Any ideas of what the hell is going on with my eyes. It is kinda freaky. Oh yeah, it takes about a week for it to clear up. . __________________ Babar Evolution Plus Sport kiss
(Offline)

3rd February 2008, 20:52	#3 (permalink)
Dsix36 Going Down? Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 860	Re: Bloody Eyeballs It is definitely bloody! The last time it cleared up by itself in about a week. I am more concerned with preventing it from happening every time I dive. There is also the issue of - should I dive with my eye f*ked? __________________ THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!*
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3rd February 2008, 23:05	#4 (permalink)
Mixaddict Always Learning! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Other CCR Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Draper, Utah USA Posts: 415	Re: Bloody Eyeballs I'm not a doc, but I have seen this happen quite a bit with rebreather divers. I tend to think that it is caused by mask squeeze. Due to the fact that CCR divers concentrate on "not breathing out through their noses" I think that we tend to ignore or not notice mask squeeze as easily as when we were diving OC and didn't have to worry about nose breathing. In our OC days, we breathed a little bit out through our nose, and the mask equalization took care of itself. Now on CCR, we have to think about equalizing the mask! Just one more little issue with CCR! (Like we don't have enough to worry about already!) Hope it resolves itself soon! Regards, Randy __________________ Randy Thornton (MixAddict) Inspiration, Evolution,Hammerhead & Sentinel CCR Instructor
(Online)

3rd February 2008, 23:59	#5 (permalink)
chunter I like diving Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss MK 15.X Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Classic Kiss Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Honolulu Posts: 455	Re: Bloody Eyeballs You may also consider getting checked for a PFO. A buddy of mine was getting spots in the whites of his eyes and it turned out to be from a PFO. Does this only happen on deep dives? Aloha, Charlie __________________ "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." - Emerson "Hobgoblin is a cool word." - Charlie
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4th February 2008, 00:08	#6 (permalink)
Dsix36 Going Down? Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 860	Re: Bloody Eyeballs Quote: (Originally Posted by chunter) You may also consider getting checked for a PFO. A buddy of mine was getting spots in the whites of his eyes and it turned out to be from a PFO. Does this only happen on deep dives? Aloha, Charlie define deep? only happened 2 times. 132' and 173' dives. I am leaning towards mask squeeze. I have been to 130'-140' on several occassions and this never happened before. I do descend alot faster than I used to though. I drop at about 40-60 feet per minute. It took me 4 min to get to 173' __________________ THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!
(Offline)

4th February 2008, 04:38	#7 (permalink)
duffmiver New Member Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SF CA Posts: 19	Re: Bloody Eyeballs I had the same thing happen to me, was a fairly shallow dive(80 ft), but I'll bet it happened somewhere in the first 20ft. I had just switched to a very low volume mask and was diving a new rebreather for the first time as well. I don't remember ever getting much mask squeeze, but I think I was just a little late equalizing the mask on the way down, thinking about the new rig a little too much and forgot the obvious. I don't think it takes much with a low volume mask, I'd never had it happen before, and it hasn't happened since.
(Offline)

4th February 2008, 10:29	#8 (permalink)
steveharriss Bubble free by choice Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 161	Re: Bloody Eyeballs I sneezed last week and was horrified to find the white of my left eye was covered in blood when I looked in a mirror 15 minutes later. One trip to the Doctors later I was reassured to find that it's a fairly common occurrence and nothing to worry about. I asked about diving but was told there was no reason why I couldn't continue to dive as it was just like a bruise and would disappear over the next 14 days or so. Quite dramatic looking though!
(Offline)

2nd March 2008, 23:17	#9 (permalink)
Dsix36 Going Down? Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 860	Re: Bloody Eyeballs It must have been mask squeeze. On my last dive, I descended slower and made sure to equalize the mask too. No bloody eyeballs __________________ THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!
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3rd March 2008, 01:05	#10 (permalink)
kiwi_diver Alias - Ray Mansell Current Rebreather/s: Other SCR Other Rebreather/s: Other SCR Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 156	Re: Bloody Eyeballs So it wasn't a 40 oz of bourbon you'd hammered the night before then? I'll bet that's a huge relief! __________________ Ray. == Latitude 36 South, where the deeper you dive, the warmer it gets! ==
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